Fan’s death raises concerns about hockey arena safety
By RUSTY MILLER
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The NHL is looking at arena safety following the death of a 13-year-old girl who was hit in the forehead by a puck that flew into the stands.

Brittanie Cecil died two days after a deflected slap shot struck her at a Columbus Blue Jackets game, raising questions about the responsibilities of teams and arenas to protect fans. It was the first such fatality in league history.

NHL spokesman Frank Brown said Wednesday the league would “look at everything” to ensure fan safety, although he did not provide details.

“We believe our buildings are safe and history overwhelmingly has proven us right,” he said. “We have entertained hundreds of millions of spectators over our 85 seasons and we are devastated that this tragic accident took place.”

The Blue Jackets plan to wear the girl’s initials on their helmets for the rest of the season, and will hold a moment of silence before Thursday night’s game against the Detroit, the Blue Jackets’ first at home since the death. The team also will promote a memorial fund set up by Brittanie’s family.

Her parents released a statement, signed “The Family of Brittanie Cecil,” on Wednesday night: “During our time of grief and bereavement our family is trying to make some sense of this tragedy. Our loss is overwhelming and the pain the we are enduring is unbearable.”

Meanwhile, a coroner determined Wednesday that Brittanie died from a rare injury to an artery that was damaged when her head snapped back.

The damage to the artery, which runs from the spine to the back of the brain, led to a “vicious cycle” of clotting in the artery and swelling of the brain, said Franklin County Coroner Brad Lewis, who performed the autopsy.

“The puck struck her in the forehead, causing a skull fracture and some bruising of the brain in the area,” Lewis said. “But that wasn’t what led to her death. It was the snapping back of the head and the damage to that artery.”

Lewis said he consulted with other pathologists on the rarity of the injury. He said that a fellow pathologist had not encountered a similar injury and death in more than 25 years as a doctor.

The eighth-grader at Twin Valley South Middle School near Dayton had been at Children’s Hospital in Columbus since being hurt Saturday night and died there late Monday afternoon. She remained conscious until Monday morning, Lewis said.

Brittanie, who would have turned 14 on Wednesday, was sitting about 15 rows above the ice at Nationwide Arena and behind the goal when the puck came flying into the stands.

The puck, which can travel over 100 mph, was shot by Columbus center Espen Knutsen and caromed off Calgary defenseman Derek Morris’ stick. The puck also hurt two other fans after hitting the teen-ager.

“I think about it all the time,” Knutsen, from Norway, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press after a morning workout before the Blue Jackets’ night game against the Wild. “I think about her family because I have family myself. It was just a horrible accident.”

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